At the heart of the debate lies Planned Parenthood (PP), the not-for-profit health organisation that provides everything from smears to STI screenings to some of America's poorest women in its 700 clinics.

In case you missed it: PP officials were cleared of all charges this week, while the two CMP activists were charged with tampering with a federal document, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years. But, shocking as this is, the story that's really caused a stir in Washington's feminist circles involves Democrat presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders: an openly pro-choice candidate.

President of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) Pro Choice America, Ilyse Hogue, explains: “Many were unpleasantly surprised that Senator Sanders lumped our organisations in with other ‘special interests’ he is running against. Our organisations are ‘established’ because our members have worked day in, day out, for almost half a century to allow and families to live empowered lives.”

Even though he's now 'withdrawn' his remarks, Sanders’s timing wasn't great. “The anti-choice movement have taken over state houses, Congress and have passed sweeping laws that are out of touch with most Americans, who support legal and accessible abortion,” Hogue continues. The statistics back her up.

" If the legislation is upheld, Texas could be left with less than a dozen clinics. Roe v Wade could be overturned."

While 44 per cent of Americans consider themselves pro-life, only 19 per cent believe abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. “But this is not a normal year; the stakes in the 2016 election are too high,” she adds.

In June, right in the middle of the Presidential campaigns, a Supreme Court case – Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole- will take place. It will challenge draconian abortion law in Texas which, since 2013, has seen about half of the state’s roughly 40 abortion clinics close. If the legislation is upheld and allowed to take full effect, Texas could be left with less than a dozen. Roe v Wade could be overturned.

The grim truth is that, if the worst were to occur in the Supreme Court, the consequences wouldn't even be 'unimaginable'.

But this week, Attorney General John Larkin lodged an appeal against that ruling, calling for a blanket ban on terminations. The depressing inference is that rape victim equals baby killer. At present an estimated 40 Northern Irish women make the journey to England for a termination every week; in 2013 this included a 13-year-old girl, who became pregnant through incest.

"On both sides of the Atlantic, we need to do more than just back a woman’s right to choose."

She faces being charged under the 19th century act, which carries a sentence of up to life imprisonment. Groups such as Alliance for Choice (allianceforchoiceni.org) are concerned that prosecutions like this will penalise poorer women who can't afford to travel – and could lead to fatalities.

“While the pills themselves are very safe, there is a real fear that the prosecutions will make women who may need medical help too afraid to seek it out,” says Goretti Horgan, a campaigner and Ulster University academic.

“Silent support has got us where we are today: a country in crisis when it comes to abortion access, contraception under fire, and no real discussion about advancing reproductive freedom at a federal level,” says Hogue of the US. “We need people willing introduce legislation to advance abortion access. “We need a champion, not just an ally.”

Enter Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first candidate of any party to be backed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro Choice at nomination stage.

“Senator Clinton hasn't just defended reproductive rights and health, she's made expanding rights and access to healthcare a driving force of her political record,” says Erica Sackin, director of political communications at Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

In a matter of months, Clinton's rhetoric on abortion has evolved from “legal, safe and rare” (in a July 2015 interview) to recently criticising the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal money for abortions.

“The Hyde Amendment is just discrimination against poor women and Hillary is an advocate for all women,” says Hogue. “She knows that economic inequality is an offshoot of gender oppression and you can’t solve the former without solving the latter.”